Cliff Notes – Hugh Grant reveals ‘creepy’ airport incident that saw his children questioned
- Hugh Grant expressed his frustration over an immigration officer at Heathrow Airport who questioned his children about their parents, describing the interaction as "intrusive, insulting and creepy."
- While some fans sympathised with Grant, others defended the officer’s actions as standard procedure for child safeguarding, especially when children travel with adults who may not share their last name.
- Grant, who has five children, has previously shared his enjoyment of fatherhood, despite starting his family later in life at the age of 52.
Hugh Grant reveals ‘creepy’ airport incident that saw his children questioned
Hugh Grant called out ‘creepy’ questions towards his kids (Picture: Sergio R Moreno/GTRES/REX/Shutterstock)
Hugh Grant shared an ‘invasive’ interaction while at Heathrow Airport, where his children were questioned when travelling together.
The Bridget Jones legend shares his three youngest children with his wife, Anna Elisabet Eberstein, as well as two older kids with ex Tinglan Hong.
It’s unclear which of his five children were with Hugh, 64, and questioned in the ‘insulting’ interaction.
He keeps his children — Tabitha, 13, Felix, 11, John, 12, Lulu, eight, and Blue, six — largely out of the public eye but spends a lot of time with his family.
On X, the Notting Hill star wrote: ‘Just came through Heathrow with wife and children. We all have the same last name (Grant) on our passports.
‘Immigration officer engages my children in chit chat then whispers to them “Are these your Mum and Dad?” Intrusive, insulting and creepy.’
He was at Heathrow when an immigration officer ‘whispered’ to his children (Picture: X)
While the incident took place at Heathrow Airport, the immigration officers are employed by the Home Office rather than by the airport directly.
Fans were shocked that the officer may not have recognised the esteemed actor, with Caz writing: ‘It’s Hugh Grant. He’s hardly kidnapping kids in between movie roles!’
While some sympathised with Hugh’s frustration at the questioning, many defended the border force officer for ‘just doing their job’.
‘It’s for child safeguarding reasons,’ replied IdealMelody. ‘Be thankful the officer was doing their job correctly.’
LeilaKtan said: ‘Child trafficking is a HUGE problem and standard safeguarding is to be welcomed tbh.’
He shares three children with Anna Elisabet Eberstein as well as two older kids with Tinglan Hong (Picture: Shane Anthony Sinclair/Getty Images)
‘It’s standard. Happened to me too. Don’t get your knickers in a twist,’ came one sharp response from InnovativeEcho.
‘Just keeping children safe—nothing to be paranoid about, it happens to most parents traveling with children,’ added WebsterEllen.
Usually, these questions are asked when children are travelling with one parent or have a different last name to the adult they are with.
Official government guidance states: ‘If you are travelling with a child (under 18) and are not the child’s parent, or may appear not to be the parent (for example, if you have a different family name), we may ask you a few questions to establish your relationship with the child.
He is a doting dad after having his kids ‘much too old’ (Picture: David Fisher/Shutterstock)
‘We will always do this as quickly as possible and in a way which is sensitive to the interests of the child and the adult involved.’
Hugh has been open about how much he enjoys being a father, even joining his kids at concerts like BlackPink and Taylor Swift.
While on the SmartLess podcast, Hugh was asked about his children and shared: ‘I had them much too old in life. You know I started when I was 52.’
‘I think I was a dried-up, middle-aged, golf-addicted Englishman,’ he added. ‘Then I had children and suddenly I had heart and I had more layers, or something.’
Metro has reached out to Hugh’s reps for comment.